


Rekindling Flames

by Timessa



Series: Rekindling Flames [1]
Category: The Owl House (Cartoon)
Genre: Aged up (20 years old), Assassin Luz, F/F, Lumity with a taste of Adventure, Same universe but in the near future (6 years), Slight Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-07
Updated: 2020-11-12
Packaged: 2021-03-09 00:13:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 14,950
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27415549
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Timessa/pseuds/Timessa
Summary: 6 years ago, Luz Noceda was banished to the dark forest by Emperor BelosFor a year, she clawed her way through the wilderness, the instinct to survive at its peak. Eda was gone, King was gone, everyone she knew and loved had left. Her emotions, along with every memory of the Boiling Isles were all but lost.She was aloneThe following year a witch found her, the leader of an illegal coven, and saw hidden, unique talent within Luz, and took her in. Disregarding the dead eyes and expressionless face the child harbored. She was taken back into a small hut, bruises treated, wounds stitched and hair cut.It was the start of a new lifeThe years that followed only had pain and agony in store for the young girl. Harsh training and strict routines were nailed onto her system. Mistakes were rewarded with whips and achievements with bread on the table— but it didn't matter. After all, what is pain to an empty husk.She had become an assassin, a hand for hire working under the witch. For years she's killed, taken the lives of other witches and monsters. It had become her way of life. She never had to think twice.That is— until she discovers her next target.
Relationships: Amity Blight/Luz Noceda
Series: Rekindling Flames [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2011462
Comments: 39
Kudos: 257





	1. Forgotten Past

**Author's Note:**

> It's a bit word heavy so come prepared :)

At midnight, a small fire dancing in the middle of the camp provided the only source of light within the dark forest. Three tents were set up, two for witches, and one— for the human. Cinders leapt out of the fire and jumped around the dry wood before burning to a crisp. Crows cawed, and other wild creatures bellowed in the dark. Many night feeders hunted in the dark for their prey like they usually did, but none of them— not even the largest, strongest, and fiercest ones dared approach the seemingly defenseless camp. 

Nights in the dark forest weren't usually this peaceful, especially since it harbored the most dangerous creatures. For most witches, it would have been a mystery how this camp was able to enjoy peace in such a treacherous area, but for the two witches residing in the camp, they knew exactly why.

Luz, currently sitting on a tree stump beside the fire, was brandishing a knife she weaved out of thin air. Her eyes, flat and empty, traced the rough edges of the weapon and quickly went to work with it. Even with the fire directly in front of her, her face remained dull. In her hand was a small pebble she swished across the blade of the knife to sharpen it, after a couple of strokes, she threw it away closed her eyes. In mere seconds, the knife present in her hand dissolved into mist. She was done for the day.

"Is that really the _human_?" Luz's ears perked up upon hearing one of her acquaintances whisper to another witch. "As in— _THE HUMAN"_ The witch, who sported purple hair and brown skin trembled in her seat.

"Shush!" The other witch, who had orange hair and was a bit on the brawnier side, glared at the purple witch. "You don't wanna get _her_ attention." She pulled the purple witch's ear close to her, " _you do know she's the reason we don't have to sleep with one eye open tonight_." The purple witch pulled back and quizzically looked at her. Her face was stern, beads of sweat formed at the side of her face. She was _serious_.

Seeing the two engage in useless banter, Luz sighed, then stood up, eliciting jerks from the two witches. Without even so much as glancing at them she strolled to her tent. After a second, she paused, waved a finger, and disappeared to her quarters. 

Noticing Luz twirl her finger, the purple witch furrowed her eyebrows, "Is it just me or, did she just—" 

_THUD!_ a shadow fell from a tall bush. The orange witch squinted to get a clearer view of the object, then jumped back, taking the purple witch in her arms. "M-manticore!" she stuttered, her breathing becoming ragged. The two of them stood still, frozen in time, only to realize that the creature was still as stone. Not a muscle in its body moved, or even twitched.

"It's dead," the purple witch said, hand still holding tight to the hood of the orange witch, visibly shaking. The orange witch crept up slowly to the lifeless creature, confirming its death. There were no signs of a struggle or injury on the beast, but it was definitely dead.

And both of them knew who killed it.

***

"Is it true?" the purple witch inquired, her well of curiosity still running wild, "the rumors about—"she glanced at Luz's tent, making sure it was sealed shut, "— _her."_

The orange witch, holding a cup of coffee on one hand, took a little sip and gazed far into the night sky, looking at nothing in particular. "Rumors? there are many about her." She closed her eyes, her forehead growing wrinkles as she tried to remember, "she's never failed a mission, never lost a target, never lost a fight, and _NEVER_ showed mercy." 

The purple witch's eyes widened, obviously surprised, "that's not what I was talking about but—" she paused, face scrunching up, "—those were _real_ too?!" 

The orange witch just nodded, deep in thought, " she doesn't talk much. I've been a part of this coven a long time, never heard her say a single word." then she hunched forward, hands wiping off the sweat forming in her forehead, "but others, they speak for her, and they only speak the truth."

The purple witch felt spiders crawling all over her body, skin tingling at the mere thought of breathing the same air as this killer. But she pushed forward with her original question, "I meant, _about her magical ability_." she whispered, making sure the last part could only be heard by the orange witch. Her voice turning into the hiss of a snake. 

The orange witch nodded, "she...only needs her mind to cast spells. No spell circles, glyphs, or even chants." She popped out a finger and drew weird symbols on the ground, each being composed of different shapes surrounded by one huge circle. "Others say her abilities are limitless, the only boundary being the her own creativity." Eyes still narrowed, she takes a deep breath, then heaves, "Titan knows how lucky we are to be on her side.

The purple witch stared at the manticore's body, flies now buzzing around it looking for their next meal. Something so powerful, killed with a single flick, she made a mental note to keep off Luz's tail, Even if it meant endangering herself. 

"Go to sleep," the orange witch called out, standing up from the log she had been sitting on. She flexed her legs, giving life to them after being in that position for hours. "We have a big day ahead of us." After stretching both her arms and legs, she made her way to her tent, but as she shoved an arm inside, she turned back to give the purple witch a sound warning, "be on your guard too, our target resides in the place _'human'_ once called her home." She split the tent entrance with her hands and walked inside, "you never know what might happen."

Taking the orange witch's advice into heart, the purple witch brought her hand up to a salute, but the orange witch had already retreated into her tent. She sighed, then put a palm in her face, only then did she realize how cold and clammy she felt. Her pale skin making itself more noticeable as the firewood began to burn out. She sighed, unable to remove the uneasiness in her heart.

"O...kay," she looked down, she glimpsed at Luz's tent one last time, then made her way back to hers.

***

Beams of light shone through cracks in Luz's tent and poured directly into her face. Her body, still as a log, shook a bit before before pulling itself into a stretch. She felt energy surging through her limbs, spreading out across her chest and head, making every hair stand in attention. Luz sat up and yawned heartily. 

It was morning.

Without wasting any more time she grabbed her knapsack and took out a piece of paper, or as she preferred to call it, "orders" from their leader. It was crumpled, such was a fate for objects that found themselves in her belongings. She fumbled a bit, eyes still blurry, and repeated the contents of the paper identifying her target. 

"Name: Unknown, Profession: leader of the exploration coven, Location: Bones—" she stopped, clutching the paper a bit more tightly, then mumbled, "—borough." Pain waved across her head, not like the pain she had grown accustomed to, but one which felt heavy, like it was pulling her to the ground. Images flashed across her mind, a white-haired witch, a small animal with a bone-head, and...a green..."

"Agh!" Luz clasped her head tight, grimacing in pain. She couldn't recall the last one, the pain escalated too much. All she saw was a flash of green. 

Luz shook her head, _not the time,_ she thought. Her hands went for the paper again which had floated to the ground. She eyed it carefully, then recited each important point _again_ like she always did before every mission. 

"...Location: Bonesborough, Address: two blocks to the left of gorgon avenue, Room: second floor to the right, has a window, Status: Living alone." She closed her eyes and breathed deeply, picturing herself making her way through Bonesborough, passing the street, reaching the house, and climbing the walls, finally reaching the window. Once there, she raised a hand, to which the brandished knife would appear, then in a split second, the mission would be over. 

As she was imagining the scenario, a tinge of maple drafted inside her tent, inviting her nose to the bright outside. The wind felt cool against her skin, the temperature warm-but-not-too-warm. It was perfect. Birds chirped and cicadas clicked, wildlife was brewing alive once again. Luz brought her head out, looking around her surroundings before stepping out with her knapsack. 

She sat on the same stump last night and weaved another weapon out of thin air, a sword, one coated in black. She held her hand out and the pebble she used to sharpen the knife last night zoomed back into her hand. Ignoring everything else, she began rhythmically sharpening the blade, mind empty of everything around her.

As per usual, the assassination was planned from midnight to dawn, when most village folk were sound asleep. Sometimes they came across obstacles in the form of guards roaming the streets or peddlers trying to sell illegal contraband, but to make life simple, Luz only limited her choices to two: kill or don't.

_*snap*_ she heard a small twig break from a distance. Silence immediately surrounded the forest. _Seven_ , Luz thought. _Four guards, three scouts_. She focused her mind on reading the energy around her, _to the right, clumped up._ She made no effort to move. 

Luz sighed and closed her eyes. She opened them a bit, only to close them again as she drew a circle with her hand. Out of nowhere a small stick appeared and fell on her hand. Her face made no effort to express itself, no matter what the situation, it was always the same expression: eyes half opened, mouth tightly shut, and ears relaxed. 

" _Always at my tail,"_ she mumbled as she sluggishly used the stick to draw glyphs across the ground. She traced multiple circles and shapes around her stump, not stopping for any distraction whatsoever. Feeling her back grow tired, she planted her elbow on her knee and caught her chin with her palm. She continued scribbling random glyphs across the ground until the last circle was finished. 

_Should be enough_

Immediately after she lifted the stick, the noises resumed. The animals and bugs that grew silent began their usual calls and songs. Luz glanced at her acquaintance's tents, both of them still fast asleep. 

Suddenly, Luz heard a noise coming from the purple witch's tent. She was scrambling to get up, Luz watched disinterestedly as her shadow bounced across her tent as she rushed to set up. "We're under attack!" she called out to the orange witch's tent. Luz lifted an eyebrow, her specialty was tracking. It wasn't anything special if she detected foes earlier than the other witch.

"H-huh?" the orange witch sat up, obviously still dazed with sleep. She rubbed her eyes, then looked around to see the purple witch panicking and bustling around. 

"Wake up!" The purple witch screamed, then she exited the tent hopping on one leg, her hand still adjusting the boot on the other one. She looked up and saw Luz, calmly sitting on her stump, unfazed by her panicked voice. 

As if on cue, the orange witch popped out of her tent holding a mace. She was a fighter, one who specialized in skirmishes. Her muscular build explained how she was able to single-handedly carry that mace without problem. "Where?!" she said in a commanding voice.

The purple witch shook her head away from Luz and focused on the orange witch, "Um—!" she took two quick glances around her and started counting, "Five!, no, Six— wait, Seven!" she shouted, pulling a small knife out of its sheath. Her eyes darting around as she tied down their location. Luz saw her chest heaving up and down, pumping adrenaline to start the fight.

The orange witch was in the same boat, taking a stance, she pulled her mace back, ready to strike. "Come on you Emperor dogs!" she taunted, teeth clenched and back straightened, she stood still, waiting for the attack to come. 

But it didn't.

After full two minutes passed with tension high in the air, the purple and orange witch began to notice something was off. No one came, if they had the chance to strike, any moment before now would have been the perfect opportunity to catch them off guard. Still, nothing.

Luz blankly stared at them, causing their skin to crawl. Then she glanced towards a tall patch of grass just beside their camp. Its blades almost as tall as an adult witch, it's density thick enough to conceal a large creature. The purple witch followed her gaze, once she saw the tall grass, her eyes immediately widened in shock.

"What is it?" the orange witch tapped her shoulder, she looked at the patch of grass and scowled. Walking slowly, the two of them approached the area cautiously, each step heavier than the last. Once within arms reach, the purple witch slowly parted the blades, coming before a very unsightly scene.

Six lifeless bodies, all seemingly killed in six different ways were sprawled out across the area. One impaled by a tree, another caught clutching a vine wrapped around his neck. Among them were two who were mauled by some unknown creature, and two more who simply lay there motionless. 

"I—" The purple witch choked on her own words, she felt her heartbeats getting faster until they echoed around her chest like a bell. "Six..." she trailed off, then her ears perked up, "I counted sev—" her gaze turned to Luz, who was sharpening her sword with a pebble, beside her an emperor coven's guard tied up with vines. The purple witch gawked, "when did she—" but she stopped herself. She looked down, seemingly resolute on not questioning Luz anymore.

During the whole reveal, the orange witch remained tense, still in utter disbelief of Luz's ability. Her experience as a warrior has taught her fighting more than one opponent— especially those from the emperor's coven was a gamble. Somehow Luz never made the gamble. Trails of sweat dropped across her face in the presence of, "a monster." she muttered. 

Luz glanced at her after hearing her speak, but again, having heard that word for too many times, just went back to swishing the pebble across her sword.

"Wha—" the emperor coven's guard looked around, his face cocked in all directions trying to make sense of his position. His mask, covering his expressions, did nothing to hide the fear which manifested as convulsions. He struggled, trying to break free of the vines, but it was to no avail. The more he wrestled with the ropes the tighter they grew. 

Seeing his escape as impossible, he finally stopped and slowly looked around. His eyes landed on Luz, who was still sharpening her blade. "So the intel was right," he hissed, voice laced with venom. "this _monster_ is heading to Bonesborough."

The purple witch, who was spectating the exchange, flinched when she heard the guard insulting Luz. 

Luz paid no heed to his words, "how did you know we were here?" she asked in a plain voice, eyes still tracing her sword. On the way here she made sure to cover all her tracks, leaving not a single footprint on the soil. For a team of coven guards to find her, it would have been through a leak. 

Instead of responding, the guard tried to spit on Luz instead. But before he could finish the act, he noticed blood trailing from his neck. He tried reaching out but the vines held in him in place. In mere seconds he lay flat on the ground, as lifeless as his allies. 

_Useless_ Luz thought, then she waved her hand, and the sword she was sharpening, edge soaked in a little blood, dissolved into mist. 

She glanced at her wrist, noting the time, then stood up and made her way to her tent. She began manually disassembling her set up and packing it up neatly in a bag. The purple and orange witch followed soon after, knowing if they lagged behind she'd disappear.

The orange witch, with her bag slung over her back, gritted her teeth, "only one more day with _her,"_ she looked at the purple witch, "let's make this mission quick." She felt her heartbeat spike up.

The purple witch could only nod in agreement as she stared at Luz's silhouette from the back.

***

They arrived at the entrance of Bonesborough during midnight. As expected, the town was quiet. Lanterns lit across the streets, cottages across the village had their doors closed and windows shut. A bit of commotion could be heard in the dark alleys, but Luz knew those were just stray creatures rummaging through trash. 

She looked past the streets and saw lights flickering across downtown. The night market was busy, artifacts of all kinds could be purchased there, some real, some fake— it didn't matter as long as there was coin. She glanced at hooded figures making their way across the streets, ignoring the trio as they marched towards the night market. Some of them were holding sack bags loaded with junk to sell. It was a demon world, one man's junk was another man's treasure. 

"Nothing's changed," she muttered as she scanned the familiar surroundings. In the last six years barely anything seemed different. As she unconsciously dug into her past, recalling all the stones and landmarks of the streets she once strolled by, pain made itself known again. A sharp, heavy weight immediately presented itself on her head and shoulders, making her lurch forward for a bit. She clutched her head again, trying to numb her senses, and it was working. Not long after her episode, she felt it dissipating as her consciousness forced it away, blocking any semblance of her memory from the past. 

The purple witch, who saw Luz struggling, reached out to her, but her hand was immediately stopped by the orange witch who just shook her head sympathetically. "It's best we don't get involved." she reminded the purple witch. 

Luz shook her head one last time and looked straight ahead, she made a signal to the two: _proceed with the plan._ The plan, which was decided by the leader, involved the two witches standing guard as Luz carried out the assassination. Luz tried to remind the leader that she worked alone, but the leader reminded her that she wanted these two recruits to learn from the best. The last thing Luz remembered was stomping out of the room saying she won't be responsible for whatever happens to them. 

Seeing the other two nod, she started sprinting across Bonesborough, aided by a couple of strength-enhancing spells. Every step she took sounded light, like a leaf bouncing off stone. She dashed through multiple houses in an instant, trying her best not to focus on their outline, afraid of experiencing the same pain. Luz wanted nothing more than for this mission to be over, this place, the memories it held, it tortured her to no end. As she moved swiftly across mansions and cottages alike, lanterns were blown out, torches extinguished, and signs swung, Like an angel of death, she crossed the place she once called her home. 

Finally, she reached her target. 

A small dainty cottage situated between other similar-looking homes. Just like the intel said, a small window resided at the second floor, where the target was most likely sleeping. Itching to finish the mission, Luz impatiently weaved a knife out and held it in her mouth, holding the handle between her teeth. Looking up, she plunged her fingers into cracks on bricks and hoisted herself up until she finally reached the windowsill. Using a burst of energy, she climbed it up and planted a foot at the bottom of the window, gaining a steady position just outside of it. 

Looking inside, she saw a small bed, occupied by a single witch covered in a thin sheet. Her eyes couldn't make out who exactly it was, but from the figure it looked like a girl, that and the witch's height suggested she was twenty years old, like her. 

Taking her time, she scanned the area carefully, looking for any traps or other creatures lying around. She found none. Luz was a bit perplexed, her targets usually included rich patrons and corrupted authorities, witches who— in the presence of others, wore masks to hide their true selves. But no matter how much she observed the area, the target was by no means rich OR powerful. 

She seemed to live a very modest lifestyle. Only a wooden table and chair served as the sole furniture in her room, her lantern, cheap, barely providing any light, and her bed seemed so worn out Luz swore it would break down any minute. 

Luz looked to the other side and saw a huge map, a map of the whole boiling isles with multiple X-marks scattered across it. The target seemed to be actively searching for something over the past six years, she noted as her eyes focused on scribbles on the map. Most of them outside Bonesborough. 

Luz shook her head, snapping herself back from her gaze, _not the time_ , she thought. With a flick of a finger, the window locks became undone and she snuck in headfirst. 

However, as soon as her head popped in, a strong scent immediately assaulted her. The smell itself was by no means intense, but the aroma, the nostalgia it brought with it overcame every sense in her body. She _knew_ this smell— no, she _loved_ it. More than any of that, she _remembered_ it. It was a mix of warm, yet light fragrance coupled with... _green_. She felt soft, safe, and at home as the scent surrounded her body. She was drawn in by it, by the time she'd snap out of it, Luz found herself standing beside the window, inside the small house. 

_*Beat*_ she felt her heart jump. For the first time, for as long as she can remember, she was flustered. Luz couldn't tell why, but there was something about this house, this _target_ . that reminded her of something _green_. 

Luz walked over the the target, step by step, fighting off the warmth the aroma was giving her. She glanced at the small table, a thick book resting on top of it, with its cover worn out and slightly ripped. Beside it was a pen that looked even more damaged than the book. Normally Luz would disregard such things, but she couldn't help but be drawn in by the mystery of her target. She stopped halfway from the target where the book lay, and took it, eager to find out more about this witch. 

She flipped a couple of pages and began reading: 

" _July 13, XXXX_

_it's been a over two years since her disappearance, still I believe she's there, somewhere, waiting to be found. I switched tracks at Hexide, I gave up all my old talents, I gave up my badge, but I will find her. I will find her."_

Luz blinked a couple of times, as she read through the entry, she noticed the handwriting looked familiar. 

* _Beat*_ her heart jumped again. It was as her body knew something she didn't, and was trying to make her remember. Unable to settle the uneasiness in her heart, Luz dug further. 

" _January 6, XXXX_

_Today is the day I graduate, My parents wanted me to go an advanced academy to hone my skills, but I know I won't. I can't— no I won't wait. Everyone may have forgotten her, but I believe I can find her. I'll do whatever it takes."_

Luz paused, her heartbeats were starting to go wild, this handwriting, this tone, she _knew_ who was writing it. It was a... a _green_. Luz fumbled, putting her hand on the table for support. Her eyes grew wide as she breathed deeply, trying to slow down her heartbeat. The target's diary seemed to be talking about a missing wit— 

"Agh!" Luz cringed as pain soared through her forehead, she knew deep inside that diary was not talking about a witch. It never was. 

_No, it can't be_ , Luz felt beads of sweat forming on her temples, the back of her hair beginning to straighten up. She quickly turned to the most recent entry. 

" _May 17, XXXX_

_Becoming the leader of the exploration coven has its perks, you get a ton of sources. After six years of searching the Boiling Isles I've finally found my first reliable clue: she's coming to Bonesborough tomorrow. Potions to enhance my magic are kept at the cabinet. Tomorrow is the day, I will find her, I will hold her after so long. I want to tell her everything is alright, that she's not alone._

_Wait for me—"_

"Luz..." she finished the entry, pronouncing her own name. The last letters just falling off her lips.

Her hands grew limp, strength being drained the longer she touched the rough leather of the diary. * _THUD*_ she dropped the book, its impact with the wooden table making a slight sound, the vibrations causing the worn out pen to shift slightly. 

But Luz didn't care.

Her heart was now rampaging inside her chest, begging her to tame it. Her breathing became ragged, and her eyes were reduced to pinpoints as she browsed through the personal history of her target. Without thinking she quickly picked up the diary again and flipped over its pages. "Luz...Luz...Luz..." she found her name written in every entry, it was all about her. The first entry, dated six years ago, and the recent entries stayed loyal to its objective and tone— finding Luz, and taking care of her. 

She flipped another page, " _...I wish she was here with me..."_ Luz read, then she randomly selected another page, " _...I'll find you Luz I promise..."_ unable to stop herself she turned pages at an alarming rate, "... _I became leader of the exploration coven, hopefully this will help me find her... a false lead again, some witches just don't learn... a storm is brewing, I wonder if Luz has a home?"_ her fingers shaking, Luz gave up and put the book back on the table. 

"Just... _who_ are you?" she mumbled, breath almost empty. A flash of green suddenly clawed its way to her mind, bit now she saw a tinge of yellow...yellow eyes. Luz fell to her knees, grabbing her head, internally screaming. 

_I have to finish this, it can't go on!_ she cried out, forcing all of her willpower into forcing these emotions back and lunging forward at the target, knife raised, ready to strike. The target lay unmoving, still, almost lifeless, it would only take slash and the job would be over. She would finally be free of this pain. Reaching the bedside, she held her knife up high and—

"Luz..." the target spoke, back turned away from her. She was sleep-talking.

Luz immediately paused, that voice, it filled her with warmth she'd never experienced ever since her banishment. As she stood there frozen in time, hands raised, the moonlight shifted ever so slightly, illuminating the face of her target. Long green hair, a brown patch peeking out of the edge, skin as pale as the moonlight, and nails as black as the night. 

Luz fell to her knees, dropping her knife. Her head facing down, and her arms lifeless as she hunched forward. Everything crumbled inside of her as memories of the past came flooding in. This familiar scent, that shimmering green hair, those perfect yellow eyes, like a seal being unbound, her mind finally remembered. She immediately forgot about her mission, about the coven, about _everything_ as she knelt there, motionless.

" _Amity_ ," Luz finally said her name. She noticed droplets falling onto her knees, slightly shimmering in the moonlight. Bringing a hand to her face, she realized the tears were coming straight from her eyes. But she couldn't stop it. All the emotions she'd held back over six years came rushing out of her, her face grimaced, her hands only finding enough strength to clench as hard as she can until blood dripped from her palms. Her whole body grew stiff, shivering with raw emotion.

Without noticing she stood up, unconsciously eager to see Amity's face once again. She stuttered towards her bed, leaning over the edge, just to get a glimpse of her face. There she saw sparkles trailing down Amity's cheeks leading to a darkened patch in her mattress. She was crying. Her face scrunched up, teeth gnashing against each other. "Luz..."she cried again, this time shaking from the mention of her name. Her body curled up defensively, and a hand, reaching out to nothing in particular, grabbed empty space. 

Luz clutched her chest, fingernails nearly digging through her shirt, her heart wrenched from Amity's soft plea. Her fingers cold, she brought them beside Amity's cheek, which felt warm and full of life. She drove her fingers across those green threads and tucked them behind her ear, rubbing her tears in the process.

"Amity," Luz gently smiled at her, then she turned back, her decision resolute. Not a single fiber in her body wanted to hurt Amity, and it wasn't even her choice. Luz stepped back, slowly retreating to the window.

"I guess this is it," she mumbled, the leader would never permit her to go back without the kill, and she could never harm a single hair on Amity, without anyplace to return to, Luz made a rash decision to just disappear. 

She glanced at the maps and Amity's journal one more time before turning back, ready to disappear, forever. 

But as she stepped into the windowsill, wind brushing against her face, she heard a soft voice emerge from her back.

"L-Luz?" Amity said, voice shaking in disbelief. Luz didn't need to turn around to know it was Amity who called her. She could single out her voice in a crowd of a million witches. 

Luz turned around, unable to muster up the will to leave her crying witch alone. She smiled, tears gushing out of her eyes once again. "Hi Amity."

***

"It's been over an hour," the purple witch complained, "wasn't she supposed to be back in ten minutes?"

The orange witch stayed silent, _something_ was off. The human never delayed a mission let alone fail it. Reaching out to her pockets, she grabbed the target's identity sheet and scrolled over its contents, memorizing the location and address. Taking charge, she furrowed her brows, "Let's go."


	2. Juggernaut

The two witches dashed across the quiet town, carefully avoiding guards that patrolled the area. The orange witch, who had memorized the location of the target, lead the charge while the purple witch followed. Like Luz, they enhanced themselves with strength magic, jumping across roofs of houses and easily evading the watchful eyes of scouts.

They made their way through the different twists and turns until the target's house was finally in sight— that small decrepit cottage near an alleyway. Hands fidgeting and heart pulsing, the two of them breezed through the remaining blocks, hoping to reach the target before any complications occurred. Roof after roof, alley after alley, street after street, they flew across the village. 

But something felt... _off_. 

Just as the orange witch planted her foot on a house one block away from the target, her eyes caught sight of glitter floating in the air. It was a small dot, but the moonlight bounced off it, catching her attention, soon, more of those sparkling objects appeared. She immediately stopped on her tracks, holding a hand up she signaled the other witch to halt.

She felt her skin crawling as the amount of glitter surrounding her increased. Frustrated, she swapped at some of them, gathering a couple in her palm, only to notice them melt into cool water.

Her eyes widened, _Snow_. Then without hesitation she looked around, face tense with anticipation. At first she looked confused, but then it hit her:

_Its summer, right?_

After the sudden realization, the orange witch immediately felt the temperature drop. The hairs on her arm standing up, and the weight of her body becoming slightly heavier. She loosened her collar to help her troubled breaths, but as the cold grew stronger, she found it harder and harder to breathe.

The purple witch seemed to be affected as well, droplets on her gloves started freezing, forming small icicles hanging from her fingers. She waved them off, only to realize more forming at the edges of her hair, making it stiff as a board.

The orange witch scowled, "get back!" She shouted to the purple witch as she warily retreated. This was no phenomena— no, this was the work of an emperor coven's witch, one of its elite forces— the "Juggernauts."

She looked around, arms feeling colder every passing second. With her tongue feeling like a popsicle, she called out, "show yourself!" She hissed as she continued to glance at the dark alleys.

She caught a glimpse of the purple witch, who had already fallen flat on the roof, curled up to conserve body heat. Her lips were already dark blue and her face pale. The orange witch, seeing her partner in danger, lunged back and quickly held her in her arms, trying to share her warmth with her. She shook the witch, attempting to keep her awake. "Stay with me!," she called out, vigorously rubbing her palms and planting them on the purple witch's face. She wasn't responding.

_*clap* *clap* *clap*_

Her ears twitched, looking up, her eyes landed on a hooded figure, face concealed with a bird mask bearing a unique shape she had never seen before. Instead of the usual hooked beak, its was tilted downwards, almost similar to Emperor Belos' mask. The body of the mask took the form of a large snowflake, It wore a blue robe laced with glowing particles of snow, icicles spawning and melting every second at the edges of its loose sleeves.

The orange witch sat there motionlessly, literally frozen in fear. There was no doubt about it, this strength, the _intensity_ of this magical power, it was a feat only a _Juggernaut_ could achieve.

" _Winter_ ," the orange witch called out his name, her voice spitting every syllable of it.

"What a surprise," he applauded the two, "you're still alive." His eyes were hidden beneath the dark holes of the mask, but the orange witch could tell, he was _smiling_. 

He drew a small circle and touched it, immediately causing the temperature to drop even more, forcing the orange witch to flinch as she felt her body getting heavier. Winter looked at her holding the purple witch in her arms and pointed at them, counting, "One...two... _hmm_ ," he scanned both witches, who could do nothing but stare back. 

"I was told the _human_ would be coming here today," he turned his head side to side expectantly, only to see the two witches in front of him. "Imagine my _disappointment_ when I found _you two_ instead," his voice grew sharper and angrier. 

_Human?_ the orange witch thought, did he mean— "Luz?" the orange witch accidentally blurted out. She immediately bit her tongue in frustration after the deed.

"Yes!" Winter exclaimed, "so she _is_ here!" he clapped, then he looked at the orange witch in the eye, "so _tell_ me, **where** is she?"

Winter stared her down, but orange witch only growled at him in response, "oh, my apologies, I can't get any answers from _dead_ witches." He drew a circle, " _silly me_."

Immediately after drawing the circle, the orange witch felt the temperature rise to sub-normal levels, defrosting some parts of her eyebrows and bringing life to her organs, especially her mobile tongue. She glanced at the purple witch, who seemed to be breathing normally again, and relaxed, obvious relief in her eyes. However, at the expense of such freedom she felt ice spreading across her arms, forming a handcuff. She ended up slamming them at the floor of the roof due to their sheer weight. 

Winter looked at the purple witch, who lay unconscious due to lack of oxygen, and turned back to the orange witch. "It seems your _friend_ there won't be talking anytime soon, so how about you and _me_ play a little game?" He strolled closer to her, sharp icicles spawning from his footsteps. He knelt down to meet her face and rubbed his chin, "I _ask_ , and you **_answer._** "

***

"L-Luz?" Amity called out again, hoping, _praying,_ to get a response. She could only make out the figure's back as it tried to exit her window, but she knew, from the moment she felt a hand caressing her face, holding her hair and gently wiping her tears, she _knew_ it was Luz. 

The figure turned around, and Amity's whole body just dropped dead, strength being drained from every part of her body. Her eyes narrowed, then widened in shock, then her heart jumped from a 0 to 100 in a millisecond, almost giving her a heart attack. A mix of emotions followed after: happiness, joy, sadness, and _fear_ of this whole thing being an illusion. She could do nothing but stare at Luz, still trying to confirm if this was reality or a dream she'd have to wake up crying to, _again_. 

Her eyes scanned Luz, features clear now that the moonlight shone over her. Her hair was longer, but it was neatly kept into a half-ponytail, her bangs flowed freely across her face, and a few locks swung beside her ears. Her brown eyes were as perfect as she remembered them to be, warm and full of life. She was clearly different, but Amity knew, it was the same Luz.

"Hi Amity," Luz replied, Amity could see tears falling from her face. At that moment she wanted nothing more than to hug Luz and tell her everything was going to be all right, that from now on she'll never leave her side— but she couldn't, not yet as she felt no control over her body whatsoever. Amity brought a hand to her face only to see that she was crying as well.

_Six years_ she thought, 

_Six years_ she waited for this day. 

_Six years_ she'd slept to dreams of her, woke up to memories of her, and then worked every fiber in her body for _her_. Now that she was here, Amity could only stare at her, eyes s mix of joy and disbelief. She stood up from her bed, legs wobbling and arms quietly shivering, and began inching towards Luz. Luz didn't move— or rather, she looked like her legs were locked onto the floor as Amity approached her. Amity didn't care, as she walked closer to the window, the moonlight illuminated her simple nightgown, plain and white, revealing the simple and plain life she led. 

Slowly closing the distance between the two of them, Amity weakly reached out, bringing her hand in front of her just to further shorten the distance between the two girls. Luz looked down and winced, her mouth twitched and opened a bit, only to close shut after. Amity could tell she was struggling with her words. 

Luz looked up and saw how close Amity had gotten, her hand almost within reach. Her body stiffened, and she inched backwards and shook her head. "No..." she mumbled, "don't" Luz, looking like she was enduring some king of pain, cried out in a soft voice.

But Amity didn't stop, despite Luz telling her to back off, Amity continued to move forward. _Six years_ she thought, _I'm not waiting a second more_. Seeing Amity move faster, Luz jerked backwards, hitting the windowsill with her elbow.

"No!" Amity jumped in panic towards Luz, tackling her chest with her head and slamming her back against the wall. Before she knew it, Amity had wrapped her arms around her as tight as she could, trying to prevent her escape. Luz looked down at the green shimmer she'd always been dreaming of and scrunched up her face. "Amity, I'm not who you think I am, I'm a monster—"

"—Don't!" Amity cried out, tightening her grip on Luz. Her arms, becoming numb from overexertion, continued to hold Luz like there was some supernatural being keeping them in place. She dug her head deep in her mantle, taking in the smell of the dirt, leaves, smoke, and most importantly, _Luz_. One particular scent was driving her brain on overdrive, like a child seeing its dog for the first time in years, she knew this smell— she knew it all too well. She looked up at Luz, who still looked hesitant and afraid, and saw a scar running across her cheek. She had some features that showed just how hard of a life she lived over the past six years. Compared to Amity who's always been in the safety of a town, Luz had to survive outside, _alone_. 

She didn't care what Luz had become, she didn't care what Luz thought she was, as far as Amity knew, Luz was _Luz_ , and _nothing_ will ever change that. All this waiting and finding Luz had caused Amity to bottle up her feelings, hiding the pain she felt so she could muster the courage to move on, but with her goal right in front of her, her jar of emotions broke— and the result was catastrophic, Amity couldn't stop herself from sobbing as loud as she could, wailing as Luz wrapped her arms around her. Whenever she tried to speak, her emotions spilled out, leading to incoherent babbles and more tears. Amity cried and cried until no tears remained, but even then she continued shouting, letting Luz feel the extent of her worry, her concern, her _love_ for her. 

Amity lightly punched Luz in the chest, still burying her face in her chest, "I've lost you _once,_ I'm not losing you **_again_** ," her words may have been soft, but they were _heavy_. She felt Luz's heart begin to race. At that moment, Amity promised herself that no matter what, she would never leave Luz's side, even if it meant her dying.

"Amity—" Luz tried speaking again, but Amity cut her off.

"—No..." Amity pleaded, she clutched Luz's body tighter, afraid that letting Luz continue would only make her leave. She looked up, her tear stained face clearly visible under the moon, "c-can't you see? it doesn't matter. I don't care, I just want you _here_ with _me._ " she punched Luz again. 

Luz, life starting to shine in her eyes once again, returned Amity's embrace for the first time. She held her breath, then released it, " _ok."_ she mumbled, nothing more, nothing less.

As the two quietly embraced, a small snowflake made its way through a little crack in the window. Amity failed to notice it, but it caught Luz's eyes the moment it entered the house. 

Suddenly, she felt the temperature drop,

"Get down!" Amity heard Luz shout, and a moment later they were on the floor. Amity with her back on the ground and Luz on top of her.

A split second later, a large icicle busted through the window where Luz and Amity had just been, completely eradicating the whole wall along with a portion of the roof. 

***

Smoke arose from the site of impact, but it wasn't due to a fire, steam flowed through the huge icicle lodged in the house. Luz, laying on the ground on top of Amity, raised her arm and checked on the witch. Her face seemed to cringe from the shock, but a quick scan told her she was unharmed. Relief flooded Luz's face as she positioned herself to cover more of Amity's frail body. Turning back, she returned her focus on the large object before her. 

Hey eyes caught sight of a shadow coming out of the rubble, it seemed to be holding onto two witches— Luz squinted, she recognized those two, purple and orange hair— they were her acquaintances. She saw the figure holding each witch by the collar raising them high in the air. "I should've just _killed_ you from the start," the figure said, then he threw the two witches on the ground just in front of Luz. He raised his hand, showing a small tear on his sleeves, and brought it close to his face and examined it. "Now my wardrobe is damaged." he hissed, "unforgivable."

Luz glanced at the purple and orange witch, their chests moved, and steam was coming out of their mouths, but despite being alive, it seemed breathing was the most they could do. The orange witch's body was covered in bruises from head to toe, dark red patches— frozen blood, stained various parts of her body. The purple witch on the other hand seemed unharmed, only sporting minor injuries. Both seemed unconscious. 

Luz glared at the hooded figure and drew closer to Amity, who seemed to have no idea what was going on. 

Then it hit her, the glimmering cape, snow-flaked mask, and infallible control over ice, this was one of the Emperor's Juggernauts— _Winter_.

Winter, who noticed Luz glaring daggers at him, clapped his hands in delight, " _finally!_ you're here!" he exclaimed. Winter drew a small circle, as it dissipated, the temperature dropped rapidly, causing the Amity's lantern to die out and ice shards to form on the legs of her furniture. "You know, I've really wanted to test my strength against _THE human_ herself, but you are _one slippery fish,"_ he said, casually waving his arms around, "but since you're here now—" Winter quickly raised a hand and summoned an icicle, using magic to hurl it towards Luz.

Without blinking Luz summoned a fireball equaling the size of the shard and tossed it against the ice spike, the resulting impact left a trail of steam in its wake. She glanced at Amity again, who was full of color and _ok_. While Winter was doing his speech, Luz had summoned the Glyph of Warmth on both her acquaintances as well as Amity and herself, keeping them safe from the effects of Winter's area spell.

"Impressive reaction time," Winter praised her, "but is _that_ all you have?" he drew a larger circle this time, and instead of summoning an ice shard, rows of spikes rose from the ground, heading towards Luz and Amity. 

Luz waved her hand, and an invisible force immediately shattered all the spikes heading towards them. She glared at Winter once again, multiple questions running through her head. 

* _cough_ _* *cough*_

Luz heard Amity coughing, she turned her head back, and to her horror, Amity's face was beginning to grow pale. The steam produced from their fight was limiting her oxygen supply, causing her breathing to become ragged. Using her mind, she constructed an air glyph and created a closed system for Amity, allowing her to breathe properly. The other two witches, having good body physique, could handle the lack of oxygen, but not for much longer.

Winter, who observed the whole spectacle, heartily laughed. "No _wonder_ you haven't struck back, _human_." he said, focusing on Amity, "you're protecting this little _witch_ of yours." He drew another circle, aimed directly at Amity, "well, why don't _I kill her first_ **then** we fight." 

Seeing the circle form and aim directly at Amity, Luz's eyes narrowed. She gritted her teeth and clenched her fists. " _shit_."she mumbled. Anything against her was fine, but to target Amity, Luz didn't care if it was Emperor Belos himself, she would obliterate **anyone** who wanted to hurt Amity. Eyes burning with anger, she flicked a finger, and in an instant Winter's spell circle immediately fell apart. 

"Wha—" Winter's eye's widened, but before he could react, Luz chanted under her breath.

_"Eternal flame of wrath destroy those who block my path_." Her eyes focused on Winter as she recited the spell. Raising her hand, a blue flame, the size of a tennis ball, erupted from her hand. She hurled it towards the ice wizard before he could cast another spell. 

Winter backed up defensively, on instinct he summoned an ice shard twice the flame's size and held it between him and the fire, but the blue flame effortlessly passed it. Stumbling at the sight of its power, Winter held out his hand to cast another spell, however, before he could finish the spell circle, the fire ball had reached his hand, enveloping it in fire that seared his very soul. 

"AGHH!!" Winter screamed as he held his arm, the fire continued to consume him, growing larger every second. Winter tried enveloping himself in ice, but it melted and seemed to only give the fire more power. The flames crept across his arms then his chest, then spread out towards his head and legs. Winter screamed in agony as the fires continued to burn. He reached up to his mask, only to feel the cracks spawning from every side of it. Pieces crumbled, chunks fell to the ground until not even ashes remained. 

As the fire spread across his arms, it turned his robe into a pile of charcoal. His loose sleeves split apart as the flames drove through it, his robe, from crystal white, turned as black as the night, dissolving into dust. The fire showed no discrimination, linen, leather flesh and blood— it was all the same, it was all burned to crisp. Winter kept summoning ice shards to cut the flame off, but it only seemed to increase the intensity. Realizing his helplessness, Winter could only make a foolish attempt at swatting the flames away.

Unsurprisingly, it didn't help.

Winter flailed across the room, arms swinging and legs jolting all around until he finally tripped on rubble and fell flat on his back. The fire seemed to take its time burning him, despite being surrounded in flames, his ash-covered figure persisted. 

Luz, without wasting anymore time, embraced Amity with one arm and and pulled the other two witches towards her using magic. She closed her eyes, ignoring the agonizing screams of winter and the commotion beginning to form outside the house. She pictured a portal glyph (a door inside a huge circle), and activated it. Within seconds, a gray sphere formed in front of her, growing taller until it was about her height. It rippled and waved, bit its outline remained the same.

"Hold tight," she looked at Amity, who nodded and blushed furiously in response.

Breathing deeply, Luz held Amity closer and, holding the two unconscious witches by the collar, leapt towards the portal, leaving nothing in her wake. 

"Wa— agghh!" she heard Winter's voice echoing from the other side, she saw him holding out his charred hand, ashes breaking off and falling apart. The eternal flame still enveloped him, preventing him from moving or performing any magic. She watched him grow smaller and smaller as they traversed the portal.

As the group reached the end of the portal, their destination became clearer and clearer. Trees covered every inch of the area, leaves flew, guided by the wind, and a couple of critters lurked about. Luz had brought her team to the dark forest, to their old campsite, a whole day away from Bonesborough.

***

Like a pilot being ejected out of his aircraft, Luz, Amity and the two witches were hurled out of the portal, landing on the soft grass with a thud. Luz held onto Amity and landed on her back, cushioning Amity's fall. The other two however, were less fortunate, slamming onto the ground with a thud. 

Luz breathed a sigh of relief as she checked up on Amity, _again,_ making sure she wasn't hurt. She completely ignored the other two, only bringing them along, away from emperor coven reinforcements, as a form of compensation for holding out against Winter. Taking Amity's arm on her shoulder, she lead her to a stump, and, motioning her to sit, Luz proceeded to patch up a few of her bruises with some bandages she made out of cloth. Amity blushed as Luz massaged her hand, but nevertheless allowed her to do what she wanted. 

Not wanting to risk Amity's health any further— because of how she lost her breath during their encounter with Winter, Luz quickly set up her tent and motioned Amity to rest. Amity looked at the tent, then back at Luz, looking a bit hesitant. Seeing her troubled face, Luz clasped her hand with hers, "I'm not going anywhere, I promise." Luz said, her cheeks slightly turning red as she looked away in embarrassment. 

"Just...rest, please," Luz pleaded, giving Amity something akin to puppy dog eyes. "I promise I'll...clear things out tomorrow." Luz had finally found someone who cared for her, who believed in her, who treated her like a _human being._ After coming to the realization that Life for her could be different, that she had a shot at living a normal life— with Amity, whether as friends or something more, she could get it all back. Warm emotions flooded her chest as she looked at Amity. Without thinking, she swore to herself that she would never leave Amity's side, not even if it meant her death.

Amity smiled at her, complete trust in her eyes. She nodded, then entered the tent. 

Seeing Amity going to "bed" took a heavy weight off her shoulders. Luz positioned herself in front of the tent and did an Indian squat, guarding the entrance of the tent. She let her head fall as she closed her eyes, preparing to sleep. She suddenly felt the tent shift a bit, and a hand poke out and grab her arm.

"No, _you_ are not sleeping _outside_ ," Amity scolded her, pulling Luz inside the tent. Knowing full well resistance was futile, Luz let herself get dragged inside. Before fully disappearing however, she stole a glance at the two unconscious witches, lying face-flat on the ground surrounding a campfire Luz prepared. Their arms and legs angled like ragdolls, Luz chuckled a bit at their silly positions. 

_They'll be fine_ she thought, finally disappearing inside the tent. 

Needless to say, for the first time in six years, the two of them slept peacefully and dreamed happy dreams.

***

Back in Bonesborough, A black figure descended on a pile of ashes that was once Winter. "Shame." it said, disrespectfully kicking the former Juggernaut's ashes. It looked at its companion, who was busy scribbling on some notebook, "what do you think?"

The companion merely shrugged, "Magically speaking, for someone to turn Winter into..." the companion motioned over to the ashes, "— _that_ , they'd have to be quite skilled."

"Tell me something I don't know," the black figure complained, "Does this work look like Eda's? maybe Lilith's?"

The companion looked at him quizzically, his hand pausing for a bit, "are you saying the resistance is starting to make its move?" 

The black figure merely rubbed his chin, "maybe, but the chances are high." He looked at Winter's ashes once again, then back at his companion, " _hmm,_ tell Emperor Belos... we might have to move forward with the plan."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NO, NOTHING HAPPENED INSIDE THE TENT. They literally slept together, just slept beside each other.
> 
> totally platonic.


	3. Freedom

Luz had never felt so relaxed in all her life. 

The sun was beginning to dawn on the old campsite, marking the start of a new day. If she were to follow her usual routine, she would be sitting up, taking her bag and reading its contents, looking for her next target. She would be outside of the tent, exactly 15-20 hours before her scheduled assassination, eating breakfast and planning a quick and easy kill. As per usual, breakfast would be quick and tasteless, but checked all the right boxes in the nutritional department. 

That was not the case this particular morning. 

She didn't feel like getting out of futon, she didn't even feel like opening her eyes. Her body felt warm, her mind calm, and her heart slowly beating to the rhythm of the morning. Not an single fraction of her body wanted the day to begin. There was no drive to sit up and grab her bag nor did she feel like going outside and munching on a tasteless meal. For the first time years, Luz felt peaceful, unhindered by any "order" or task, uncontrolled by any obligation to serve the coven, and unshackled from any duty forcing her to live a particular lifestyle. 

She'd failed to kill her target, _deliberately_ , for sure the Leader dismiss her on the spot. Not that it mattered. Luz had lived a very straightforward life: wake up, kill, bread on table, sleep, repeat. For six years it had been that way, but now that circumstances have changed, she figured it was time for a change of pace as well. 

_*whoosh*_ she felt Amity's breath tickle her face. Surprised, Luz turned around, only to witness Amity's sleeping face mere centimeters away from hers, slowly heaving up and down. She felt her heart race as she unconsciously inspected Amity's features— pale skin which glowed warmly under the sunlight, short yet curved eyelashes, flushed cheeks, ears as sharp as she remembered them, and her soft, pink lips. Luz grabbed her chest, trying to hold back the vicious pounding of her heart. 

Luz furrowed her eyebrows at this new yet familiar sensation. In the past when she participated in tournaments, or fights to the death, she often found herself on similar situations— heart pounding, skin sweating, and body tensing up. But despite her body reacting similarly, she didn't feel threatened nor did she want to get rid of the sensation. Instead, she felt herself wanting more. 

She couldn't take her eyes off Amity, every second that passed had her breathing irregularly . She was cornered by the witch, unable to move, unable to think. Her eyes traced Amity's white temple, down to her pointy nose up to her warm lips, where the breath escaping her took on a flowery scent. Luz was shivering like crazy, elbows stiff and neck locked in position as she withstood Amity's assault. 

Amity shifted a bit, inching closer to Luz as she slept, unintentionally bringing an arm around Luz's waist. Luz's body immediately became rigid, her muscles stiffening as Amity's hand caressed her back. 

Luz was at a loss, she had never felt this... _flustered_ her whole life. She felt heat rushing to her cheeks as she looked up and tried to avoid staring at Amity's serene face. No one had ever gone this close to her before, _literally._ The only time she recalled such an event was during a raid at a coven, where an all out war caused bodies flying around, some landing directly at her. Luz cringed at the memory, gritting her teeth as she remembered the smell of blood. But that smell was immediately overcome with Amity's scent, which by now was starting to surround Luz. Luz could tell she used the generic cheap products, but coupled with Amity's unique aroma, she felt like exploding on the spot. 

Time passed, and Luz could not find it in her to nudge Amity awake. A minute, 10 minutes, half an hour had passed, and Amity showed no signs of waking up. To make matters worse, she had only gotten _closer_ to Luz during that time, further driving the poor human's senses to overdrive. 

Luz, deciding she could take no more of this _sensual rollercoaster_ , waved a free finger, hoping to slowly _magic_ herself out of Amity's grasp without waking her up. She quietly drew a circle and wrote a glyph that would hold Amity in place as she replaced "herself" with a pillow or bag. She would then wait for Amity to wake up and pretend noth— 

The entrance to her tent suddenly opened, bright light pouring in, surrounding both her and Amity. To her surprise— and dismay, the head of the orange witch popped inside, still bruised and badly beaten from her encounter with Winter. She scanned the area, seemingly looking for Luz, but instead she bore witness to Luz and Amity locked in an _intimate_ position. Her face turned red, frozen with shock as her eyes widened, she immediately tried to step back, attempting to leave the two alone. 

But it was too late. 

Amity, drowsy and half-asleep, lifted her heavy eyelids. Upon seeing Luz so close to her and realizing she had been hugging her in her sleep, Amity jerked backwards, face scrunching up and ears turning bright red. She began breathing rapidly, staring at the hand which held Luz. Only then did she realize the orange witch's head caught at the entrance of the tent. her vision shifting back and forth between Luz and her. 

Amity's blush intensified as she covered her face with her palms. Luz glanced at her, then glared at the orange with, eyes filled with the desire to murder. The orange witch twitched, then paused and jabbed a thumb outside, "I-I'll be...outside." she stuttered, obviously terrified of the aura Luz was emanating. Her head retracted, closing the tent entrance and once again limiting the amount of sunlight entering the tent, making the interior a shade darker. 

Amity, still huddled at the corner of the tent reeling from her actions, glanced upwards and mumbled in the softest voice, "sorry." She said, ears flopping down, embarrassed. Luz noticed a small grin forming at the edge of her lips. _She's definitely not sorry._

Luz relaxed her shoulders and looked at the futon they were sharing. It was a bit fluffed up from use, small cotton strips peeked out of tiny rips in the covers, exposed to air. The center was clean, no wet spot or tear-stains that she observed in Amity's old bed. Luz closed her eyes and breathed deeply, a mellow feeling spreading across her chest once she realized Amity didn't cry that night. 

"It's okay," Luz tried answering as flatly as she could, "I...didn't mind." she looked away and scratched the back of her head. 

Amity drew closer to Luz and sat beside her, leaving a couple of inches between them. She looked confused, her eyes wandering around as she tried to make sense of the situation. She hugged her knees, burying her head in-between them as she focused on Luz. Slowly, she reached out for her hand, grabbing Luz's as gently as she could. Luz didn't resist and let Amity wrap her fingers around her palm. 

"I'm... confused." Amity confessed, running her thumb over Luz's palm, "A lot happened, I went to bed as usual, then woke up to you—" Amity blushed a bit, "—touching my cheek, then something crashed into my house, and the next thing I know, you're this powerful _human_ the emperor's coven wants to catch and—" Amity paused, as if she was trying to figure out how to phrase her next words carefully, "—now we're here, in the middle of the forest, my home gone and my old life probably ruined." 

Luz flinched, she knew this was her fault. Feeling a bit of shame, she held her head down. 

"But I don't care," Amity interjected, Luz turned towards her, eyes wide with shock. Amity was smiling, and it wasn't just any smile, she looked like she had just been given the whole world. " _You're_ here, that's all that matters to me right now." Amity gripped Luz's hand tighter just to emphasize her resolution, "I am— confused, yeah, but I _trust_ you'll tell me everything if I give you time." Her radiant smile was so blinding, Luz could only stare back at her in awe. 

Luz nodded, smiling back in return. That was the best she could do to show how grateful she was for Amity's patience. 

Holding her hand, Luz stood up. She pulled Amity gently and lead her outside the tent, where, unsurprisingly, both the purple witch and the orange witch were. The two of them were sitting on the grass tending to their wounds. The purple witch was applying some kind of oil on her bruises and the orange witch sliced a piece of clothing from her skirt and wrapped it around a dark spot in her arm. The two of them looked up as they saw Luz exciting the tent, Amity behind her. 

*** 

_a few minutes earlier_

The orange witch was befuddled, the last thing she remembered was the Emperor's Juggernaut— Winter, growing extremely irritated after she cast a spell that caught him off guard. He then summoned this large ice-spike thing and hurled it towards her, barely grazing her head but hitting her with enough impact to knock her unconscious. The next thing she knows, her she woke up to the taste of dirt and the familiar smell of the forest. She did a quick scan of her surroundings to find out that 1.) the purple witch was unscathed, which relieved a bit of her panic, 2.) they were back at the dark forest— at their old campsite, 3.) the _human's_ tent was set up, meaning she was probably the reason she and the purple witch were still alive, and 4.) she was badly injured, but she was _safe_. 

The orange witch tried to sense any form of danger close by, like Winter's aura or the scent of the Emperor coven's guards, but there were none. They were, at the very least for this moment, _safe_. 

A ton of questions weighing on her mind, she stood up, and without giving it another thought walked straight into the human's tent, _why did she save us? what happened to Winter? did she finish the mission? what took her so long?_ Question after question cycled through her mind, and despite knowing the human's tendency to keep silent, she resolved herself to ask anyway. 

Imagine her surprise when she stuck her head inside the tent only see the human being _embraced_ by another witch, a green haired witch who seemed to be sleeping peacefully beside her. She caught a glimpse of the human who was, without a doubt, _blushing_...? and definitely panicking as the other witch, still asleep, continued to hold her close. She was waving a finger, trying so hard to cast a spell without waking the other witch up. 

The orange witch froze, all her time in the Assassin coven, she had never seen the human show any form of emotion or express herself in any way, yet here she was, struggling to break free from a witch who seemed to hold even less magical power than the orange witch herself. Her face was growing redder every second and her eyes rebounding from the green-haired witch's face to the human's hand. The orange witch could only stare in disbelief as the human, for the first time, was considerate of people other than herself. 

Suddenly, the witch hugging the human opened her eyes. 

The next events that happened was a blur for her, the witch jumped back and covered her face and the human gave her the _most_ **bloodthirsty** look she had ever gotten, She flinched in horror, and using all of her willpower, she said something she couldn't remember and just backed off as fast as she could, leaving the two on their own. 

*** 

Luz was met with the questioning looks of the orange and purple witch as she exited the tent, but they did nothing more. They _knew_ she was in-charge, and no conversation would start without her initiating. 

Motioning for Amity to make herself comfortable in a tree stump, Luz smiled reassuringly at her and patted her shoulder before moving in front and squatting beside the burnt-out firewood at the center of camp. The soft grass acting as cushion for her legs. The other two witches were situated somewhere close as well, sitting on patches of grass and just looking at Luz expectantly, their hands crossed and eyebrows raised. 

Luz looked at them, her expressions returning to its usual state— flat eyes, straight face, and lowered eyebrows— the state of apathy. She knew the two needed explanations, she knew that out of the three of them she was the only one who had a clear idea of what was going on, but she flat out felt no obligation to do just that. She wasn't also one to talk either, despite her past memories of being cheerful and communicative, life in the wild had taught her the best way to survive is to keep to herself. 

_But_ Luz thought, sighing, she needed their help. 

_For Amity,_ Luz convinced herself. 

She looked at the two witches, who were holding their breaths and clearly sweating with anticipation. They wanted answers, and they wanted it now. 

"Ask," Luz said outright, waving her hand, signaling them to continue. 

The orange witch was the first to speak, "Where are we?" she inquired, 

"Old campsite," 

"What about Winter?" the orange witch asked again, 

"Dead," 

The orange witch held her breath and looked at Luz in disbelief. She scanned her looking for any signs of injury from the battle, but she seemed just as unharmed as the day they arrived at Bonesborough. She scrunched her brows and narrowed her eyes, but she really could find any form of a struggle. "for the human to slay that... _abomination_ ," the orange witch mumbled, "without even getting a scratch—" She paused, Winter had toyed with her like a baby with a rubber duck, but the human...he's dead just like that. The orange witch closed her eyes in astonishment. 

"And _who_ is that girl?" the purple witch pointed at Amity, who flinched a little upon seeing a finger in her direction. 

"Our target." 

The two witches paused, then looked at each other. "So the mission—" 

"Failed." Luz hissed, a bit of irritation coating her voice. 

The two witches jerked, and the orange witch seemed to remember the glare Luz gave her a few minutes ago. She looked at the purple witch and cupped her ear, trying to warn her about the target. The purple witch however, didn't seem to get her message. 

"Then why is she still alive?" the purple witch innocently asked, there was no malice in her voice, only intrigue. 

Luz scowled at her, scrunching her face and baring a bit of teeth. 

"Eep!" the purple witch shrieked a bit and held onto the orange witch, who just sighed in disappointment. "N-nevermind..." she said, nudging the orange witch with her elbow, " _go on, ask her, I still have no clue what's happening._ " 

The orange witch, trying to clear things up, spread out her hands, "So what you're saying is... you failed the mission...on _purpose_ ..." she spoke as gently as she could on the last part, the last thing she needed was to offend the human _more._

Luz nodded. 

"But then... why did you save us?" the orange witch finally asked the question that's been bugging her all day. she scratched her head and looked down, "when we crossed paths with Winter, we were as good as dead. He was a _monster_ , he would have killed us without thinking twice after I scratched his robe. And you—" she stopped herself, her face strained from the stress of almost spitting out the next words. 

Luz sighed, "—a monster as well." Amity immediately cast her gaze on Luz when she said that, but Luz didn't deny it. "I know," Luz admitted, eyes dropping to the ground, "but I did it anyways," she looked at Amity, memories of Amity hugging her at her house screaming ' _I don't care!'_ resurfaced, Luz felt a huge weight being lifted from her shoulders, _I don't need to be one, not anymore_. 

Both witches fell silent, unsure of what to say. They folded their hands together and fiddled with their fingers. It was obvious to Luz how they regretted calling her a monster, but instead of calling them out for it, she decided to move to conversation forward. Edging closer to the two of them, she dragged herself until they were within arms reach. 

The orange witch looked up and saw Luz's firm eyes, "I need your help," Luz said. 

The faces of the two witches turned into one of surprise, their jaw visibly dropping and their eyes inexplicably filled with confusion. They exchanged looks with each other, then turned back to Luz. "W-what did you say?" the orange witch broke the silence, still clearly dumbfounded by Luz's request. "You are clearly more powerful— than the two of us combined! What do you need _our_ help for?" 

Luz continued to stare at them, expression unchanging, then she reached into her pocket and pulled out a necklace. A thin string held together and a small pendant at the center. Upon opening the pendant, glittery smoke puffed out and formed into letters that listed down Luz's name, her coven, the leader of that coven, and her rank. 

_"Name: Luz Noceda_

_Rank: #1_

_Coven: Assassin coven under the guidance of The Leader, member of the hidden powers_

_Last known mission: Kill leader of exploration coven at Bonesborough"_

_Status: Alive"_

It was an identification pendant, one used like dog tags in the military, used to identify assassins of the coven. It was mostly used for assassins who died, so that others would be able to fulfill their mission instead. 

"What about the identification pendant?" the orange witch scratched her head. 

Luz didn't answer, instead, she weaved a knife out of thin air and immediately slashed her arm at a safe spot, creating a shallow wound. Luz winced for a second, then looked to see if the wound was deep enough. Blood began flowing from the injury, flowing across her arm, onto her wrist, then her fingers, slowly dripping on top of the pendant. The pendant glowed bright for a second, the flashed like it was updating itself. 

_"Name: Luz Noceda_

_Rank: #1_

_Coven: Assassin coven under the guidance of The Leader, member of the hidden powers_

_Last known mission: Kill leader of exploration coven at Bonesborough_

_Status: Injured, possibly dead."_

She tossed the pendant over to the orange haired witch, "tell the Leader..." she turned back, and walked towards Amity, who was still resting on the tree stump. "I died." 

The orange witch's eyes narrowed, she cringed at the thought, "W-what? How?!" she spread out her arms, mouth opening wide, "how would we tell her you died?" 

"Tell her Winter killed me," Luz finally reached Amity, and grabbing a portion of Amity's hair, she cut a lock out. She waved a finger and a blood-like substance immediately pooled in her hand. She dipped the lock of hair into her hand and levitated it towards the orange witch, who was holding her information pendant. 

Luz turned back and faced them, "We were making our way to the target when Winter ambushed us, you went on and killed the target, but I got left behind and was impaled to death by Winter." She summarized the story, "take a piece of my cloth if you want," she used the same knife to slash a portion of her shirt and threw it to the orange witch. "That's all you're going to need." 

The purple witch raised a hand stepped forward, "that's insane! How could we possibly tell the leader _that?!_ " 

"Tell **me** _what exactly?"_ A sarcastic voice echoed across the forest. Every bird within their vicinity immediately took flight, small rodent's scattered, and lizards skipped away. The voice they heard wasn't particularly intimidating, but the presence it brought with it caused the animals to flee. 

Luz's face turned sour, _shit_. 

*** 

Up in the sky, a black cloud descended upon them. It was pretty large and opaque, hiding whatever was inside it. Smaller puffs of smoke emanated from its body time from time, dissipating as soon as they separated from the main body. 

It traversed the open sky until it finally arrived at the ground, landing at the center of Luz and the two witches. Soon the smoke dissolved, revealing a middle-aged woman, seemingly in her forties, sporting a black dress, a shawl, and a staff with a crow perched on top. Her eyes were pretty large and bore the color yellow, a very common shade in the Boiling Isles. Her mouth, a bit crooked, didn't stop her from making expressions that irritated Luz to no end. She was smiling mischievously, like she had just caught a baby stealing cookies from a jar. 

Luz frowned at her, clearly displeased at her appearance. She crossed her arms and grunted, making no effort to hide her disdain. The other two witches however, had a completely opposite reaction. They immediately fell to their knees, one hand on the ground and another on their knee. They took a deep bow, not even bothering to look at the visitor. 

The woman in black grinned slyly at Luz, making the human shake with frustration. She turned to the two witches and waved her hand, "C'mon you two no need to be _formal_ , stand up." 

The two witches quickly obeyed, standing up and clapping their hands together, bowing. "Leader," they greeted her. 

"Pff," the Leader dismissed them with a wave, clearly disinterested. She looked at Luz, who was still busy murdering her with her glare. "So, what do _we_ **have** here?" she looked around, squinting as she "scouted" the area, "a **bunch** of deserters that's what." She complained in a peevish tone, rolling her eyes and swinging her arms. 

Then she saw Amity peeking, hiding behind Luz's back. She sighed deeply and slapped her forehead, "and they _didn't_ even kill the _target!?"_ She pulled on her face, groaning as she did, " _Ugh_ , I've failed my coven as a leader." 

Luz only growled at her, arms crossed defensively, she backed up closer to Amity, making sure she was at arms reach. "Stay behind me," she whispered, unable to take her eyes of the Leader for a second. Amity nodded sheepishly and held onto Luz's back. 

"Get straight to the point, what do you want." Luz demanded, eyebrows arched down, and eyes reduced to pinpoints. 

The other two witches shook at Luz's tone. The Leader _was_ the leader for a reason, among those who competed for the position, she was the most powerful. Any witch dumb enough to talk back to her like that must be either delusional or... stood in the same _level_. 

"Oh Luz, don't _give_ me that." the Leader trotted closer to her, extending her arms for a hug. "aren't you _happy_ to see me?" 

"I'd be happier seeing you dead," Luz hissed at her, hair standing up as she took as stance. 

The Leader paused and raised her hands, " _Woah_ there, let's not let things get... out of proportion here Luz." She walked over to the orange witch and grabbed the information pendant she was holding, "besides, aren't **_you_ ** the one with something to tell _me?"_

Luz fell silent, refusing to acknowledge her statement. 

"C'mon, Luz, really? _faking_ your own death?" she held up the pendant, opening it and reading the "status" part. "Injured, possibly dead." She snorted, and laughed, "you're better than this... _child_ ." She stashed the pendant in her pocket, "did you **really think** for a second, that I'd accept the the fact that _you—_ **_you_ ** of all creatures would **DIE?!"**

She raised her hands in disbelief, "Even **I** couldn't kill you Luz, even if I wanted to. You'd just swat me on the ground like some garbage fly— insect thing." She looked at the orange witch questioningly, "say, you there, who did she tell you 'killed' her?" 

"The Emperor's Juggernaut, Winter, Leader" the orange witch shuddered, barely able to stop herself from stuttering. She kept her head down in fear that looking up would instantly get her killed. 

" **WINTER?** " the Leader bellowed, then laughed maniacally, "You think I'd believe that **ICE CUBE** could scratch you, let alone _kill_ you?" She chortled, holding her belly with a hand. "Luz we both know you're better than that. C'mon, I'll pretend none of this ever happened and we can just go back to being a _family_. A happy one, yes?" 

"No," Luz flatly rejected her, her gut twisting and turning at the word "family." There was no _family_ at the coven, only disposable living beings slaved for coin. 

"You're better than this Luz, let's just... finish the mission and—" as the witch stepped towards Amity, Luz's body tensed up and released the most terrifying, hair-raising aura the Leader had ever seen. Caught off guard by the intense presentation, she tripped backwards and fell on her butt, sweat forming in her forehead. Luz continued to release the aura until the Leader stepped back to a safe distance. 

Amity, still in the unknown, looked at the scene in confusion. 

"O-okay," the Leader raised her hands and smiled awkwardly, clearly aware of some _boundaries_ she shouldn't cross. "forget completing the mission, how about you just come back. I'll fake her death and she can stay with us, _free of charge_." She bargained with Luz, eager to keep her hand on her winning chip. 

"No," Luz rejected her again. Amity lived a noble life, a life where murderers and notorious villains coexisted was not the life she was meant to lead. 

"Okayyy but how about—" 

"—I'm not going back," Luz cut her off before she finished. She stepped forward and looked the Leader in the eye, "I want _out_." 

The Leader's eyes widened in shock, she dusted her legs as she stood up, her yellow eyes staring Luz down, "Luz, do you even know what you're asking?" She arched her brows and scrunched up her face as she narrowed her eyes, "this coven, this... _lifestyle_ ... **you** of all people should know, there's no _leaving_ this life. There **is no out**." 

Luz grimaced, but stood firm, tightening her fist to a ball, "I want to leave." 

"Luz, you **owe** me, don't you forget that, I saved you from the wilderness, I trained you to be who you are today—" 

"—A monster," Luz cut her off. Memories of her past resurfaced, making her twitch. "I killed for breakfast, I stole for my lunch, and I killed again for my dinner." Luz clenched her fist, her fingernails digging deep into her palm, drawing blood. "You never gave me anything I didn't _earn."_

"I taught you how to survive—" the Leader argued, but Luz cut her off. 

"—You nearly killed me every 'training' session we had." She looked away, " **I** taught myself to survive, it was **me** who survived **you** ." Luz waved her hand, "I don't owe you anything you haven't already _taken_." her voice growing soft but pained, she dismissed the sentiments of the Leader with tact. 

"I'm not going back," Luz stated, stepping back towards Amity. She then drew a circle, but instead of activating it, she overlay the circle with a square, and then a pentagon, creating a multi-layer summoning spell. She tapped it, and a white staff emerged. At its peak was a dragon, clear as crystal but covered by beautiful gems. The staff itself emanated a radiant light that extruded raw magical power. Luz took the staff in her hand and slammed the ground, generating heavy vibrations in the earth. 

"But if you insist," Luz eyed the Leader, her face full of determination. She wasn't backing out, not even if she had to fight one of her most dangerous battles. Her eyes glowed white as magic in its purest form flowed within her. "I'm willing to fight for my freedom." 

The Leader slowly stepped away from Luz, face distorted with a mix of awe and downright fear. She knew, a single spell from Luz's personal staff would make her strongest spell look like a snowball in comparison. She breathed deeply, acknowledging Luz's resolve to leave. 

The Leader scratched her head, "okay, you win." She took out Luz's information pendant and crushed it with her hand, generating sparks that scattered freely across the wind. "you're officially dead now, as far as everyone in the assassin's coven is concerned, Luz Noceda— the human, was killed by Winter." 

The Leader turned to the orange and purple witch, "any word about this from any of you—" 

"No, nope, not happening," the purple repeatedly shook her head, the orange witch just nodded in agreement. 

"There, ya' happy now?" she asked sarcastically, to which Luz didn't bother responding. Although, Amity swore she saw Luz grin for a second there. 

The Leader turned her back away from Luz, "I swear kids grow up too fast these days, one day they need your help and the next thing you know they want to _kill_ you." she mumbled. 

Luz turned around as well, facing Amity. Only now did Amity realize how tense Luz had been during the whole encounter, her hair was a bit frazzled, her face a little pale, eyebags were starting to show below her eyes, and her eyes seemed extremely tired. Closing her eyes, she sighed, "at least that's over with." 

However, just right before Luz thought the conversation would end, she heard the Leader speak from behind her. "But what now Luz?" 

Luz looked back, meeting the Leader's gaze, "You walked away, but you're a wanted _woman_ . You don't _have_ a home." the Leader drilled those facts into her. Luz could tell that she wasn't trying to irritate her, she was just...telling the truth. 

The Leader continued, "everywhere you go, guards will be looking for you, Juggernauts will be behind your tail, even _Belos_ himself might come after you." She looked at Luz, probably in a last ditch effort to get her to come back, "where can you stay safe but in _our_ coven?" 

Luz scrunched her brows and dropped her head, the Leader was right, she _had_ no place to go to. No place in the Boiling Isles was safe, not for her, and not for Amity. She figured just being with Amity was enough, but they'd have to find a place to call "home" first. 

"...the resistance." Luz heard a soft voice behind her. She turned around and saw Amity rubbing her chin, "the resistance, founded by Eda and Lilith after Belos banished you, _you'd_ be safe from the hatred _there_." Amity mumbled, her face getting brighter as idea after idea came, "it'd be a place you can call home." 

"The resistance?" the Leader snorted, "the resistance is a myth for those freedom fighters who resist Belos' rule. A blind hope— a leap of faith for people who were treated unjustly by the emperor." 

"No—" Amity said, "they're real, they invited me, every year to join their cause. It's just that, I just haven't accepted their invitation yet." She glanced downwards, fiddling with her fingers, her cheeks slightly flushed. "When you were banished, Eda, Lilith, King, and all your friends thought you perished in the dark forest. That being the final straw, they finally formed an alliance whose primary goal is to overthrow Belos' control over the Boiling Isles— the resistance." 

Luz shifted her eyes to Amity, looking at her questioningly, "but why didn't you join?" 

Amity smiled awkwardly, the tips of her ears turning red, "I believed." she took Luz's hand into her own, "I believed you were still alive." 

Luz was speechless, she broke Amity's gaze, her cheeks heating up with embarrassment. 

"Oh for crying out loud just **kiss** already, sheesh, you girls are unbearable." the Leader, seemingly convinced, rudely voiced out her thoughts to the two, " fine, so the resistance is _real_ , doesn't mean they'll accept you there Luz, you've got the blood of hundreds on your hands." 

Luz looked at Amity holding her hand, blushing as she did so, then looked at the Leader and smiled confidently, "I'll take my chances." The Leader just scowled at her in response. 

"Don't say I didn't warn you," the Leader said, Luz ignored her, focusing on Amity. "You're always welcome back though! In case this resistance gig doesn't work out." the Leader followed up, but just like last time, she was ignored. 

Luz then turned around and, still holding Amity's hand, and led her back to the tent. She began packing up, all raring to go on another journey. As she transferred her belongings on her magical knapsack, she looked at Amity curiously, "do you know where they are? Eda, I mean, and the resistance." 

Amity smiled, then edged closer to Luz, bringing her lips to Luz's ear, "your former mentor is at an isolated island just beyond the Knee, that's where the main force is." She whispered as quietly as she could, making sure no one else could hear the location. 

_Beyond the Knee_ , Luz thought, It'd be a couple days away from their current position, but the travel shouldn't be a problem. Her heart started racing again, in a few days, she might be able to see Eda and King again, maybe even Hooty. Luz felt herself grinning like an idiot as past memories with them resurface, she couldn't help but feel a little excited. 

"To the Knee then?" Luz asked Amity, gaining confirmation from her sole companion in the trip. 

"To the Knee," Amity chuckled, cheeks slightly blushing. 

And so the duo, leaving behind the two witches along with the Leader, make their way to the island just beyond the knee, to the place where Eda, King, Lilith, and most of Luz's old friends resided— the resistance. 

*** 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know It's written as chapter 3/3, but fear not, for those (still) invested in the story, I plan to be adding a part 2, so the story isn't really over yet.
> 
> I just thought one title was good enough for an arc.
> 
> Funny, what started as a simple Lumity idea turned into something like...this. I honestly don't know what to feel. Should I continue? or maybe leave it at that. Tbh idk XD.


End file.
